A Bright Star
by alaska-young
Summary: A girl sees a cat that looks suspiciously like one of her most beloved manga characters. When she follows him, she gets a lot more than she ever expected. Suck at summaries, sorry!
1. Chapter 1

**\ay, so this is my first Furuba fanfic. It might not be that great, but I've had this idea for literally MONTHS and I've been writing a lot of it for months as well. I have at least....four? Five? Six chapters written already? I never get a beta, just because I want to try to improve myself without someone's help. With that said, there's bound to be a mistake or two. With that said, I give you Chapter 1 of Fantasies and Wishes!**

"Dammit," I growled, rubbing at my eyes furiously to remove the tears that had leaked out from my face. I was watching the conclusion of the Fruits Basket anime, for about the fifth time this week, on my laptop. It was a Saturday afternoon, so my sisters, twins Luna and Nova, were at their usual Saturday basketball game, Mom with them, which meant I was home alone.

The power had gone out about three hours ago because of the pouring rain outside, so I had been stuck in the dark for some time before I decided to finally use up the charge on my laptop. I hadn't receive any worried phone calls from Mom, and I didn't expect one either. Today's game was an hour's drive- I doubted it was even raining there. I looked out my bedroom window, looking into the rain. It was pouring in sheets, drumming in a rhythmic beat on the roof. It was so heavy that I could barely see the edge of the woods, let alone five feet from the window. Everything seemed totally dead, for there was absolutely no wildlife anywhere outside, no movement besides the rain from what I saw.

Until I saw something flicker in the corner of my eye.

I turned my attention towards the edge of my yard, where the trees of the woods met the lawn. There,by one of my mother's now severely damaged planted flowers, was an orange cat. I looked curiously at it, and within an instant, its head snapped around to look straight at me. I blinked. How the hell did it even know I was looking at it? Not only that, what the hell was it doing just _sitting in the rain like that?_ I frowned slightly. _If it stays out there too long, it'll get sick._ I thought. Not wanting anything to happen to it, I quickly ran to the living room, shoved on my sneakers that had been left in the middle of the floor, ripped my sweatshirt off of the arm of the recliner, and ran outside.

I splashed through the mud as I ran towards the backyard, praying the little thing was still there. Mom was always a kindhearted person, not to mention she loved animals, so there was no doubt in my mind that this cat would be turned away. _I'll name it __Kyo__._ I thought, _I mean, he _is_ an orange cat. _

Sure enough, the cat was still there when I reached the backyard, its eyes burrowing into me as it spotted me. But as soon as I looked at it, it turned towards the woods, heading into the thick trees. "Wait!" I called after it over the rain, as if it would understand me. I took off after it, not wanting it to get hurt or sick or worse. Besides, the rain wouldn't be as bad, for the fact that I would have the trees for cover, right?

Wrong. Unfortunately, the rain had collected on the leaves of the trees, flowing down almost heavier than the rain. I wiped the water out of my eyes, looking for the cat. There it was, just a little ahead of me. It looked at me straight in the eye before turning and running further into the woods. I turned to look behind me. I was still close enough to the yard that I could see the house. I knew the woods well enough, but with all the rain, it would make it easier to get lost. Thinking the cat wouldn't go to far, I ran after it. "Come back!" I shouted in the direction it had taken off.

It went on like this for some time. The cat would stop every so often just long enough so that I ====\ld catch up with it, and then turn and go deeper into the trees. Every time I thought I had lost him, he would turn up just as soon as I would turn to head back to the house.

After a while though, I was almost sure I had lost him. "Kyo?" I called. "Come here, kitty. Please!" That's when I looked around. I could no longer see the house behind me, or from any side of me for that matter. _Which way did I come from again?_ I thought, becoming a little panicked. I took a deep breath. _Calm down, you know these woods well enough. Just wait for the rain to slow down and you'll find your way in no time._ I heard a meow from behind me.

"Kyo!" I called, turning and running in the direction of the mew. I didn't get far, though, when I tripped over a fallen log. "Shit!" I growled, closing my eyes and putting my arms out in front of me to catch my fall.......or not. When my hands should have made contact with the ground, I did a somersault in the air....and kept falling. I opened my eyes to see pure blackness around me. _What the hell is happening?_ I thought, letting out a shriek. I flailed my arms around the blackness as I fell, groping for something that I could grab onto. "C'mon, _come one!_" I shouted at myself, knowing that at this rate, hitting the ground would most likely mean death.

That's when I saw it. A pinpoint of light coming up from somewhere below me. _A light at the end of the tunnel._ I thought bitterly, closing my eyes because I knew I was about to die.

I landed with a _thud_ on the ground, a disturbing sounding _crack_ coming somewhere by my head. Of course, when I went to open my eyes, I realized I was unable to.

"Is this what it's like to die?" I whispered to myself, a tear or two leaking from my eyes \efore I drifted into unconsciousness


	2. Chapter 2

As I came back to my senses, I noticed that my head was throbbing. My eyes fluttered open to see a blonde boy leaning over me, concern shading his face.

I gasped and sat up quickly, causing my vision to spin. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed apologetically. "Did I frighten you?"

I rubbed my head with my hand. "A little...." I trailed off as I looked around me. I soon realized I was on a sidewalk of a completely unfamiliar street. "Where am I? How did I get here?! _How am I speaking Japanese!"_ I was beginning to get extremely freaked, and it looked like I was freaking the blonde kid out, too.

"Wow, how hard did you hit your head?" he asked, "Maybe we should get you to Hatori."

My eyes grew wide. Hatori? As in Fruits Basket Hatori? As in Hatori _Sohma_? I shook my head a little. _Damn you, fangirl mind._ I thought. _It's just a coincidence. Not to mention this is probably only a huge dream_.

"Momiji, what's going on?"

I looked over to see three people running towards us. They looked so familiar.... I blinked. Grey hair? Orange hair? _Kyo and Yuki!? Did they just call him Momiji?!?!?!_

"I was on my way home and I turned the corner to see her lying here." he informed them, gesturing towards me. He held a hand out to me. "Can you stand?" he asked.

I nodded. "I think." I gratefully took his hand and he helped me to my feet. "Thanks. I'm Star, by the way."

He smiled at me. "My name's Momiji Sohma. And this is Kyo and Yuki Sohma, and Tohru Honda."

My breath caught as he introduced me, my eyes turning into saucers. This was to much of a coincidence. These guys were the real deal. The world started to spin. I heard Momiji ask "Are you okay?" but I was unable to answer as I fell back unconscious.

I woke up to feel a soft bed under me. My head was aching, and I could hear someone next to me breathing. Where was I? I opened my eyes to see a girl by my bed. Tohru. She looked over to me.

"Ah, you're awake!" she said happily. She stood, saying "Wait right here, I'll go get Hatori."

My eyes grew wide. Hatori was here? I sat up and shook my head. _This can't be happening._ I thought to myself. _How the hell does something like this happen?_

I went to throw my legs out over the side of my bed when I heard a voice say, "Don't even think about it."

I turned to see a man in a doctor's coat come in, a medical bag in his hand. Hatori. He was followed in by every one else, with an addition of Shigure. Momiji went to the side of my bed. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I grumbled.

"From what Momiji said, you seemed to have hit you're head pretty hard. I think it best if you lie back down." Hatori said, setting his medical bag by my bed and immediately rummaging through it for something.

"Star, this is Hatori Sohma. He's a doctor."

"I kinda already made that assumption, but pleasure." I mumbled, feeling completely awkward surrounded by my favorite characters.

"Likewise. Now, please, would you mind getting back in bed?"

I hadn't realized that I didn't move. I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts. "Sorry." I muttered, tucking my feet back under blankets. "But as I said before, I'm perfectly fine."

He ignored me, instead removing a stethoscope from his bag and checking my heartbeat. It was most likely racing right now. I mean, I _was_ surrounded by fictitious characters in a foreign country. He removed a small flashlight from his pocket, shining it in my eyes. He held up his finger in front of me. "Look here." he commanded firmly, thought not unkindly.

"I don't appreciate the fact that I have an audience." I mumbled, embarrassed. Why was everyone so worried?

"They're just concerned, that's all." Hatori said, making me blush. "It isn't every day that someone collapses in front of them." I was completely embarrassed at the statement.

He sat on the edge of my bed so he was able to check my head easier. His fingers probed the side of my head lightly, looking for anything abnormal. I winced, letting out a small hiss as he pressed into the part of my skull that had hit against the concrete.

"Concussion." he concluded out loud.

"Great." I grumbled, moving an arm to brush a piece of hair out of my face. A hand grabbed hold onto my wrist.

"How hard did you _fall?_" Hatori asked, bewildered.

Confused, I looked down at my arms. Dark bruises were forming on the backs of them slowly.

"Oh my God!" I squeaked, turning them back and forth as if it would help. What _had_ happened to me? I tripped over a log and....what? Fell through the earth into an alternate universe? My heart sped up a little bit. _This can't be happening._ I thought again._ They aren't real. Maybe I've finally cracked. Maybe this is all a big dream._ My breathing picked up. Hatori caught my expression, and concern crossed his face.

"Star-san," he asked gently, using the Japanese suffix on my name. "Did someone...do this to you? Did someone hurt you?"

"What? No!" I said quickly, realizing he was getting at abuse. "It's just that....never mind. You wouldn't even believe me if I told you." I looked down at my hands. I mean, did I really believe that he'd actually take my side and think I'd fallen from the sky?

A hint of a smile graced his face. "Try us."

I took in a deep breath. "Just don't say I didn't warn you." I mumbled. "Well, you see, where I come from...there's a manga and anime...all based off of you guys. And I'm a huge fan of it, so of course.... I know all about you guys. The curse, everything." Everyone stiffened, but were silent as I retold everything that had happened to me up until Momiji found me.

When I was done retelling my story, it took a while before Kyo broke the silence. "You expect us to believe all that?"

I snorted. "You expect me to believe all of you turn into animals of the zodiac, excluding Tohru?"

"How did you-"

"I told you. I've read the manga and watched the anime. I know the story. I know everything."

They were silent again, until Shigure clapped his hands together, rubbing them together. "Well, it looks like we have a new house guest."

My eyes widened. "Oh, no. I couldn't possibly think about imposing more than I have already. I would feel so terrible!"

"No, you wouldn't be imposing on us, really." Tohru said, her face full of concern. "Besides, I'd feel terrible if you didn't because you have no place to stay!"

"Tohru does have a point." Shigure said looking at me intently. "And with your concussion, it's good to be close to Hatori in case something happens."

I blushed and looked down at my hands. "Thank you all. So much. This is so kind of you." I looked up. "But what about my home? My parents? I need to call them. They have to be worrying about me."

"Then, by all means, use our phone." Shigure said, smiling happily about the thought of me staying here. "Although, it may be hard to explain how you got here..."

I smiled. "I'm good at excuses. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to use that phone." I swung my legs and stood up, almost instantly becoming dizzy. I stumbled forward, almost falling before Hatori caught me by the elbow.

"Maybe you should lie back down." he said, his eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine," I assured, "Just a little unsteady. But I need to use the phone. I promise, as soon as I'm done I'll lie back down."

He didn't seem too sure at first, but he nodded, guiding me downstairs to the phone to make sure I didn't fall or pass out.

When I got to the phone, he left the room to give me privacy. I quickly got on an American line and called my house. Dial. Dial. Dial. I was about to hang up when I heard the phone pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom," I sighed, glad I still knew English as well.

"Mom? I'm sorry, but you must have the wrong number. All my children are here with me right now."

I was speechless. What did she mean, all her children? What about me? "Ma, it's me, Star."

"I'm sorry,Star, but I'm not your mom, maybe you punched one wrong number?" I heard her turn away from the phone and yell "Luna, Nova, quit that!"

"I.....I'm sorry." I said, trying to keep my voice normal. Nova and Luna were still there, yet I wasn't. What was going on?

"No problem, dear. Maybe you should study that number of yours a little more." she said with a light hearted laugh, completely unaware of how much these words scared me.

I gave a small laugh with face humor. "Yeah, sorry again for disturbing you."

"Don't worry, dear. Bye bye now."

The phone hung up on the other line. I stood there with the phone in my hand for a while, frozen. I knew I had the right number. And Nova and Luna were still there. I was able to move just enough to hang up the phone. I noticed footsteps coming down the stairs. Yuki was the first one down.

Seeing the look on my face, he asked, "Is everyone alright?"

I could barely answer. "She-she doesn't know who I am." My voice was barely audible. "My own mother doesn't know who I am."

I sunk to the floor in shock. Yuki rushed to my side. As he moved away from the stairs, I realized he wasn't the only one in the room. Tohru was right behind him. "How could this happen?" I asked myself. "She doesn't even know who I am! Her daughter. She never had me..."

"Calm down. Are you sure you called the right number?" Yuki asked in his soft voice.

I shook my head. "No. My sisters were still there, just not me. They don't know who I am." I repeated again. Tears were threatening to fall, but I blinked them back. "I have no home," I whispered, "No place to go."

"You can still stay with us," Tohru said softly, "Can't she, Yuki?"

"Of course she can. You can stay as long as you need to."

"No I can't." I muttered, tears leaking out of the corners of my eyes. "What about Akito?I know too much. You're going to have to tell him. He won't allow me to stay here."

"Don't worry about Akito." Yuki said in a sharp voice. "We'll take care of everything."

"You all are so kind." I cried. "I'm a total stranger, and here you are, taking me into your home. You have no idea what this means to me."

"Don't say another word. You need to rest. Let's get you back upstairs."

I shook my head. "I'm not going to kick Tohru out of her bed. I'll sleep down here."

"You're not putting anybody out." Yuki said.

I shook my head. "I will be if I sleep in Tohru's bed. Mom always told me-" I stopped, tears forming at the corner of my eyes again. "Mom.." I whispered.

And I lost it. I clung onto Tohru, sobbing hysterically. She wrapped her arms around me motherly. "It's alright," she soothed, "Everything'll be all right. We'll work some thins out, and adjust, and it will all be just fine."

I don't know how long I sat there clinging to Tohru for, but eventually the tears stopped flowing, and I was utterly exhausted. As my eyes drooped close, I felt gentle hands pry my own off of Tohru's shirt and lift me carefully into strong arms. I could hear the _thud_ of footsteps going up the stairs. They laid me down on a soft surface, though not Tohru's bed- a bed mat? I heard a door slide shut silently behind them as they walked out. I could hear muffled voices outside.

"Will she be alright?" a concerned Tohru asked.

"She should be fine now." Hatori's voice flooded through, "She's been through a lot today. Let her sleep. I'll be back in the morning to check on her."

The rest of the conversation became garbled, and it wasn't long until I surrendered to sleep.

**I hope you guys enjoy this. It's not edited or anything, because I wanted to get this up tonight. I have at least three more chapters coming after this one, so please, give me feedback! **

**Love always,**

**Alaska.**


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up to a loud crash the next morning.

"YOU DAMN RAT! LOOK WHAT YOU DID THIS TIME!" I heard Kyo shout from downstairs. I heard a muffled reply, but couldn't make out what Yuki retorted, but whatever he said was returned by Kyo with, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S MY FAULT!"

I giggled. So this was what a cat and mouse fight was like. I sat up, and instantly felt dizzy. _Stupid concussion._ I thought, easing myself up. I noticed I had been changed into a pair of ill fitting yellow pajamas, most likely Tohru's handy work. I wasn't surprised, though. I _had _been in the rain for a good hour or so, and even though I hadn't noticed because of everything that was going on, they were probably soaked through all the way.

A small coughing fit took over. _Great._ I thought, _Thanks to the stupid rain, I probably caught a cold. That's the worst thing that could possibly happen at this time._ I sighed, now throroughly irritated, and walked slowly over to Tohru's mirror. On my way over, I noticed a pair of clothes that had been set out for me.

The clothes hung on my body strangely, for I was shorter and not as thin as Tohru. The pink skirt hung a few inches lower than it should have, and the shirt hung baggily on my frame. My chocolate curly hair was in mess around my face, making my pale skin look even whiter, and it got in the way of my pale blue eyes. I patted my hair down as much as I could, although with little results, though figured I was decent enough to go downstairs.

I slid open the door and went down the steps slowly, making sure my limbs wouldn't go out or anything. I entered a small room to see Shigure, Yuki and Kyo sitting at a small table, a bowl of some sort of breakfast in front of each. They stopped talking (well, Yuki and Kyo arguing) and looked at me as I entered the room. I blushed at the attention drawn to me, and self-consciously tugged at the hem of my shirt.

"Well, look who it is." Shigure said, smiling. "Sleep well, Star?"

I shrugged my shoulders and knelt down at the table next to Yuki. "Not bad. By the way, what broke? I heard a crash."

"I'm sorry," Yuki said apologetically, "that Kyo's tantrum woke you up."

"_My_ tantrum? What about you, you damn rat! It was your fault!" Kyo said, his voice loud and defensive.

"Yes, of course it is. It's my fault that you decided to fling the vase across the room." Yuki said back, in the same soft voice as he always did.

Before Kyo could retort, Tohru walked in with another bowl. "Oh, Star! You're up! Are you hungry?" she asked, a kind smile on her face.

I nodded as Tohru placed the bowl in front of me. "Thank you, Toh-" I was cut short form another coughing fit. Everyone looked at me as I finished.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked concerned.

I smiled. "I'm fine. Just a cold." My voice cracked, and my face blushed, embarrassed.

"You don't sound fine to me." Shigure said skeptically, looking at me like a parent doubting his five year old.

I simply stuck my tongue out at him, in turn as if I _was_ a five year old, and began eating. My first bite had me swooning at the taste. I had heard that Tohru was a good cook, but _God,_ this was good! I eagerly began scarfing it down, but after the first few bites, I began slowing down, realizing how quickly I was filling up. I hadn't even eaten half the bowl, and I was already just picking at the food.

Tohru looked worried. "Do you not like it? If you want I could make you something else.."

"No, Tohru. It's great, really." I said quickly, not wanting to work harder because of me. "I guess I'm just not as hungry as I thought I was."

Shigure's eyes looked at me skeptically again. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" He reached over to feel my forehead, but I swatted his hand away.

"I'm fine, quit your worry-" I was cut off by a gasp of shock as a hand came from behind me and placed itself on my forehead. I whipped around to see Hatori over me, a small scowl on his face. I couldn't hold my tongue, and my mouth reacted faster than my head as I said sarcastically, "Because that's not creeptastic at all, Hatori." I received a snort from Shigure, and Hatori himself cracked a small smile, though it quickly turned back to a frown.

"You have a fever," he said, "and with your concussion, you shouldn't be out of bed."

I rolled my eyes. "Calm down, Hatori-san." I looked up at him, his one eyebrow raised. "It's not like I'm dying here. It's a concussion, which I have had before, and a cold. Not that bad."

"And how do you expect the cold to go away without rest?"

"......God's love?"

"Nice try," he said, rolling his eyes. He held a hand out to help me off the floor. "Now come on back to bed."

Unfortunate for Hatori, I wasn't about to give in so easily. I put on one of the biggest pouts I have ever done in my life, and made my eyes as wide as they could go.

He didn't even flinch.

"I'm in charge of Momiji most of the time and you expect that to work?" he asked, looking at me skeptically.

"Haa-san, you're heartless!" Shigure wailed, draping an arm around my shoulder. "How can you see past this poor little girl's pout?" I smiled, and Shigure looked over me. "Let's hope Aaya doesn't find she has such talent."

"Don't let that thing near the _house, _let alone Star." A disgruntled Yuki said from across the table. I gave a small smile. They still didn't get along well.

"Now, are you going to come peacefully or am I going to have to drag you?" Hatori asked, a little more sternly this time.

I moaned, but complied, standing up slowly, using Hatori's arm as support. "Take me away." I said dramatically, letting him lead me upstairs. In truth, I really didn't feel good, but I would rather be downstairs by everyone than upstairs in bed. Unfortunately, I had no choice as Hatori wouldn't even let me lay down on the bed mat.

"You need to rest properly, and you're not going to receive that rest by sleeping on a bed mat when you're not used to it." He wouldn't even let me near the bed mat.

"I can't take Tohru's bed." I answered, not wanting to make Tohru uncomfortable.

"Tohru would be more than happy to give up the bed in order for you to get the proper rest you need." he said, a look that made me think I wasn't going to win this fight. "Besides, if you didn't and became worse, Tohru would feel terrible. Is that what you want?"

"No," I mumbled. Man, Hatori really knew how to get to a person.

He handed me a pair of pajamas that were on the top of the dresser where I had left them this morning. "Change into these and lie down. I'll be back in a little while."

With that, he simply turned and left, leaving me somewhat dumbfounded. That's all he was going to say to me? I sighed, figuring there had to be more to Hatori than this, and quickly got changed back into the yellow, ill-fitting pajamas. I laid down on the bed, feeling rather awkward. I mean, here I was, lying in a bed in a fictitious house of fictitious characters. This made my mind whirl. I had talked to Tohru, Kyo, Yuki and Shigure. I was being looked after by Hatori, and had been transported into this world to be found by Momiji. Either there was something up with my brain, or I had transported worlds some how. Right now, I didn't know which to believe.

I just started to close my eyes when the door slid open, and Hatori walked in, a black medical bag in hand. He set it down by the bed and knelt down as he rummaged through it, producing a thermometer.

"Mm naw da sci" I mumbled incoherently as he began checking my heartbeat.

"But you could become 'that sick'." he said, removing the thermometer with a mumble of "One-oh-one."

"So I have a fever," I said with a roll of my eyes, letting them fall on him rummaging through his bag again. "What do you expect after I was outside in the rain all day yesterday?"

"Nothing less, I suppose," he answered, lifting his hands with two objects from his bag. Objects that had me cringing away from him.

"Hell. No." I growled as he filled the syringe with some sort of clear liquid.

"Afraid of a needle?" he asked, his voice showing some amusement.

I blushed. "Everyone has their fears." I mumbled, almost incoherently as I folded my arms across my chest as to keep Hatori away from them.

An eyebrow raised. "You believe that simply crossing your arms with keep me from giving you an injection? Do you realize how many stubborn patients I deal with on a daily basis?"

"Yes, I was realizing this, and I was hoping it would keep you from injecting me anyway."

He looked at me and sighed. "Alright, think of it this way then. Would you rather be stuck in bed for a week and a half, or would you rather be up and about in a few days, if not by tomorrow?"

Guess who got a needle in their arm?

Of course, Hatori forgot to tell me that I would be up and about from my _cold_ in a few days, and not my damn concussion, so I was still basically bedridden for about a week and a half. At the end of the second week, he finally let me go on walks around the house, as long as someone accompanied me. It was normally Tohru or Yuki, with the addition to Kyo on a few days.

I enjoyed these walks, and it let me get to know my favorite characters a lot better. Tohru was the kind, selfless person I always expected her to be, but at an extent I had never thought. She indeed still had a job, and was always doing housework, not to mention taking care of me to see that I was always comfortable on top of everything else. She was like a motherly big sister to me, and I always enjoyed our walks.

Yuki was shy and quiet, but kind as well. He was late home most nights for student council duties, but when he got home he would always help Tohru with her homework (which, in some subjects I found out, she desperately needed) without second thought.

Then there was Kyo. Of course, I had no problem with Kyo's temper. I knew it would be like this, I mean he was my favorite character. His temper hadn't been as flared up as I expected it to be, but there was one thing I hadn't expected- how he would subtly come on to Tohru in a non creeper way. Not only that, but I couldn't believe how helpful he was. Of course, when ever I asked him anything, I'd be treated like I was stupid at first, but I always got an answer, a gruff one, but one that showed he cared, none the less. But still, there was one thing I couldn't stand- Yuki and Kyo's fighting.

I would often wake up to screaming or shouting, banging and crashing. It got tiresome, having the two of them constantly bickering, not to mention hard on your ears. So one day, I decided maybe Kyo needed a 'transformation of heart'.....so I hugged him.

But the strangest thing happened when I did.

Nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! So, when chapter three when up, it took quite a while to actually get up. There IS indeed a reason other than I was lazy...though that was part of it...anyway, Last weekend (and I'm saying this as of 5/22/10) I had a jazz trip out of state from Thursday through Sunday, mostly driving. Now, I have a cold, hurt BOTH ankles on separate occasions within two days, and am really tired because yesterday was our 8****th**** grade dance. SO. I'm finally starting Chappy Four..YAAAY. Again, sorry for the wait, but life is hectic. Especially since its close to the end of the school year, and the dreaded "F word" is coming up. (alright...I'm saying it...FINALS!) But I PROMISE I will update as often as possible. UPDATED! It is now June and I feel really, really bad I haven't updated. It's not so much of laziness anymore though, I have this semi-writer's block. It's not really a block, considering I have all of these chapters planned out, it's just that I can't seem to word it. But I promise updates will be more frequent now that it's summer. I'm on vacation now so that's why it's taken me so long to get this up, and I **_**just**_** found wifi. I'm going away for camp soon BUT I'll get another chappie up before then, I **_**promise.**_

** Love, love, **_**loveeee,**_

** Alaska**

I woke up with a start, just like any other morning, thanks to a loud _thud_. Yuki and Kyo were fighting. _Again. _I was tired from the mix of being an insomniac and the early cat and mouse squabbles, and this morning I was even worse because of a pounding headache that I had gone to sleep with last night...that was still there. Of course, I wasn't going to say this to anybody, because then Hatori would put me back on bed rest, which I hated more than anything else in the world. I couldn't do anything, not to mention it was practically house arrest.

I didn't even worry about getting dressed anymore. It was too early, and since I didn't have to go to school or anything, it was rather normal for me to go down to breakfast and help clean up in my pajamas before getting ready for the day. My hair was still in two twisted braids from last night, so I didn't have to worry about the curls being in a rats nest. I slid open the door and stalked down stairs, hoping to give the two an earful.

I got down to the bottom of the stairs to see the front door torn open...the second time this week. As soon as I took my first step towards the kitchen, Kyo stalked through the decrepit door, pushing up his sleeve. I grabbed his arm, looking into his eyes with a murderous glare.

"I. Am. _Tired._" I spat.

"Let go! It's not my fault the damn rat woke you up!" he said, not wanting to hurt me by ripping his arm away from me.

"YUKI'S NOT THE ONE FLYING THROUGH THE DAMN WALL, NOW IS HE?" I screamed as loud as I could. Wow. Mood swing. I wasn't PMSing...was I?

The rest of the family poked their heads out towards us. I saw Tohru looking concerned that we would start fighting, Yuki looking guilty for waking me up...and Shigure trying to keep from laughing.

"I am _tired._" I repeated, slowly and murderously. "I wanted to sleep in. I don't feel well. And I am _sick of the damn fighting._"

The entire household seemed to be rather afraid of me right then. I didn't blame them, of course. I was not a happy riser. "I'm sorry, now will you just let go?" Kyo said, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.

An idea popped into my head. "No. I think you need a...transformation of heart." I said, an evil smirk on my face.

"Don't you dare!" he shouted, but it was too late. I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his waist and waiting for the very loud 'POOF!' sound I always wanted to hear. I waited there for a minute...and nothing happened. My eyes widened, and I looked up in shock. The rest of the family was frozen as well. Why wasn't he transforming?

"Well, this is interesting." a voice said from the shattered door. I turned to see Hatori walking through the door-though he actually had the decency to open it before walking in. I looked up to see I was still hugging Kyo. I shoved away from him and crossed my arms, my face becoming bright red.

"What are you doing here?" I mumbled embarrassed. Why did Hatori have to show up at the most awkward moments?

"To see how you were feeling." he answered. "Someone let slip that you didn't seem yourself last night. I won't tell you who."

"Shigure..." I hissed, giving him an evil glare that could have killed. He shrunk back into the corner, beginning to whistle innocently. Bingo, we have a winner!

"I'm fine, Hatori. I had a headache, and now its gone. So, problem solved." I lied, trying to get him to believe me so I could go strangle Shigure.

"Problem not solved." he said, walking over and placing a hand on my forehead. "Now we know we can't transform if you hug us. Why, I have no idea, but it might have to do with how you got here." His faced turned into a small frown. "You don't have a fever, but with a headache so soon after a head injury you should be in bed."

"Well, I'm not going to relax now! I just found out none of you transform when I hug you for some reason, and now I'm gonna have to fix that damn door, because Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo have school and if you think Shigure is going to do it, you got another thing coming! And-"

Hatori put a finger to my lips. "You need to calm down." he said. When I stayed quiet, he removed his hand and looked at me closely. "If anything, you need to relax. I can't have you going around and hurting yourself again. You're worried about something you cannot fix."

"But...what about Akito?" I asked, looking at him worriedly. "He's going to need to know. And we all know he's just about ready to kill me right now from living with everyone."

A firm look crossed Hatori's face. "Nothing will happen. We'll tell him when he's ready to hear it."

I didn't really like the sound of this, but I nodded, even agreeing to sit down and relax. I sat down at the table. Tohru placed a small bowl of food in front of me for breakfast. "If you'd like, I could make you some tea. It usually helps with headaches..."

"Don't worry, Tohru." I said, not wanting her to get too worked up. "I'll be fine. You don't need to work yourself up. You should head to school. You guys are gonna be late."

"Are you sure?" she asked, not too certain.

"I'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Hatori said from behind me somewhere. I bit my lip and resisted the urge to stick up my middle finger, instead settling for an evil glare. "Also, speaking of school, you're taking the entrance exam next week."

My head whipped around to face him. "What?" I squeaked, freaking out. "Hatori, what are you thinking? I may somehow magically speak your language and shit, but I don't know half of your customs! I'm going to insult someone on the first day, I just know it! I-"

"You're getting worked up again." he pointed out. Once I was silent again, he continued. "Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo have agreed to teach you our customs in their spare time."

"Agreed?" Kyo grumbled, "More like 'forced to'."

"By the time you start school you should know enough not to insult anyone." he finished as if Kyo had never interrupted.

"Yes, because that gives me so much more confidence." I grumbled, resting my chin in my hands.

"Also, I've noticed you've been borrowing Tohru's clothes." I blushed, looking down at the ill-fitting pajamas I had grown accustomed to wearing. I hadn't mentioned to anybody how awkward I felt in them because they didn't fit me right. I didn't want them to go and buy me clothes when I would leave...if I ever left. "Since we have no idea if you shall be returning home or not, I believe it is time to buy some proper clothing. I was going to take you today, but with your headache, maybe we should put it off for now."

"But Hatori, how can I afford everything I'll need?" I asked, a bit embarrassed. All I had in my pockets when I came he was five dollars. You can't really buy much with that anywhere.

"Do you really believe that we'd expect you to pay? You came here with only the clothes you were wearing."

My eyes widened. "Hatori, I can't let you guys do that. I would feel terrible if you guys spent all that money on me!"

"You can't expect us to let you be stuck in Tohru's hand-me-downs, which we can obviously tell you are uncomfortable in, forever." Shigure said.

My face turned red. "I'm not going to like this." I mumbled.

"So. Many. Stores." I complained, dragging my feet across the concrete sidewalk as I carried armfuls of bags. We had been shopping for hours, and I was getting fed up. All I had wanted was a few pairs of pants, some t-shirts, and a hoodie. I already had shoes, and there wasn't much else I needed. Except for bras and shiz, but I wanted to go shopping with Tohru for that, way less awkward then shopping with Hatori and Shigure, especially Shigure.

And yet, we had just come out of something reminiscent of a Victoria's Secret, lugging three bags in each hand, with both Hatori and Shigure carrying two each. Hatori didn't shit around, but I refused to let them carry more than two bags each. I might be a girl, but I can carry a few shopping bags, for God's sake.

"We still have one more place to go." Hatori said, heading towards a rather expensive-and-preppy looking store.

"What the hell do I need here?" I growled, not really willing to move forward.

"You always need at least one good pair of clothes." Shigure said. "Something you can wear if need be for something a little more...proper."

"Look who's talking." I mumbled. "Don't you borrow Hatori's suits most of the time?"

"That means nothing."

"I'm sure it doesn't."

"Will both of you give it a rest?" Hatori said, looking only slightly annoyed. Shigure and I had gotten into these pseudo kid-like fights all day. "Shigure is right, though."

"It means nothing that he borrows your suits?" I asked confused.

He sighed. "No, about having a pair of dress clothes. You never know when they'll come in handy."

We walked around the store about thirty times, and every time, I refused to look at the price tags. I had glanced when we walked in at a collared shirt that cost seventy-five, and after that I was just scared.

Shigure was throwing clothes at me left and right. "Go and try these on." He said, throwing me another skirt and shirt.

"This will take me an hour with all this stuff!" I complained.

"Then you better get started." Hatori said from my side. I growled, but quickly headed into the dressing room. After about twenty minutes, I finally decided the only thing I actually liked was a light blue collared button up that brought out my eyes and a navy blue skirt. It might have only been one outfit, not to mention a pair of black ballet flats, but it rang up to be over a hundred dollars.

"Hatori." I hissed, appalled that he'd even think about spending that much, not to mention he had already spent more than that today.

"Don't argue."

I could do nothing more then watch as he paid for the expensive clothes.

"Can we go now?" I asked, completely freaking out about how much money he spent.

"You need to calm down." Shigure said as we walked out, draping an arm around my shoulders. "Women should be pampered, and enjoy the pampering."

"And in return, they'll kick the sexist pig sons-a-bitches like you in the nuts, Shigure." I said, rolling my eyes and smiling. "You need your look on women to be changed. And _fast._"

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to pamper a woman." Shigure said, a sickening strange smile on his face.

"Yes, but not so that the man doing the pampering can get in her pants."

"Do I have to separate you children?"

"Sorry, Tori-san." we answered in unison. Boy, I love annoying the hell out of Hatori.


	5. Chapter 5

kk' **So...updating...took me waaaaaaay longer than I expected. I'm sooo sorry. Now I don't want to make up excuses, but please know I've been so busy, not to mention stressed this summer and now school year. I haven't had time to write or anything, had two birds die, and started taking lessons for two different instruments. I'm really sorry I haven't been able to update soo ner than now! dodges rotten vegetables* I'M SO SORRY!**

**OH! and I'm sorry about my poor suffixes. I'm trying, and have like three websites helping me, but it's hard when you don't know the language!**

"Hell to the no." I growled, holding up the incredibly short skirt.

I had passed the entrance exam with flying colors, and I should have been happy. But there was one tiny detail I had forgotten about. The disgustingly and surprisingly slutty short skirt of the school uniform. "You can't pay me enough to wear this thing."

"It's the uniform." Kyo said, annoyed at my complaining. "There's not much you can do about it."

"Yeah, unless you're like me, and care about looking like a slut or not."

"Tohru wears it, so I don't see what you're complaining for."

I sighed, looking at him pointedly. "Tohru is also about ten or fifteen pounds lighter than I, probably more, and has a stick waist. I, on the other hand, do not. I have more curves than needed, thank you very much. I can't pull this off. Ever."

"Don't say that!" Tohru said, seemingly worried about the way I viewed myself. "You're beautiful! Besides, everyone wears the uniform, it won't be like it's only you. And you can always do what Uo and Hana do and wear a slightly longer skirt."

I sighed. "But that wouldn't make me fit in. I mean, I love who I am, which is the one who doesn't fit in with the crowd, but for the first day of school I would like to at least _look_ like I fit in, you know? No weird first impressions."

"If you're gonna wear it anyway, why bother complaining?" Kyo asked angrily.

"I wasn't complaining..I was debating out loud."

"Do you two ever quit arguing?" Yuki asked as he walked in, rubbing his eyes from sleep. His voice wasn't angry, however. On the contrary, it was rather amused.

I looked from Kyo to Yuki back and forth before looking at Yuki and shaking my head. "No."

He shook his head, a small smile on his face."Even so, you might want to get dressed. We need to leave shortly."

"Shit," I growled, ripping the skankified uniform off the counter and dashing up to the room Tohru and I shared. I threw it on as quickly as I could, tangling a ribbon into my curls to match. I yanked on my knee-high socks and dashed back downstairs after grabbing my bag. I was hobbling on one foot as I reentered the kitchen, attempting to put on a loafer-like shoe.

"I didn't think it was humanly possible for someone to get changed that fast." Shigure said, sounding impressed.

"It is when you're an insomniac who gets to sleep at two every night, wakes up at six, and falls back asleep until six thirty...when the bus comes down the hill at six forty." I tucked my hair behind my ears in attempt to tame it a little better. "You ready to go?"

"Of course, let me just finish doing the dishes." Tohru said, this morning's breakfast bowls in her hands.

"Oh no." I said, taking them away from her, "I think that Shigure can take care of the dishes for one measly day."

"But-"

I stopped her with a hand. "Shigure is totally capable. I've made him do dishes from lunch before. Now it's your turn to not worry about something for a change and leave a little earlier for school."

"But-" she stated again. I looked her straight into the eye, raising my left eyebrow. She sighed, a sign of defeat, a hint of a smile in the corners of her mouth.

"Now, come on. I really don't want to be late on my first day!" I drug her arm towards the door, the boys following. "Have fun with the dishes, Gure-san!" I called, a smirk on my face.

I was still completely nervous about today. I didn't know how I would fit in somewhere like here. I was told they thought of me as a foreign exchange student, so my lack and minimum knowledge I had was to be expected. However, this didn't stop me from worrying about making a bad first impression. I was always worried about that.

"Something bothering you, Star?"

I lifted my head to see the three of them looking at me. It had been Yuki who had spoken, probably because of how we would always talk on the walks we took. "I'm just a little nervous, I guess." I admitted.

He went to answer, but a loud shout of "STAR!" sounded from behind us. I turned just in time to see Momiji leap at me, throwing his arms around me.

"I'm so glad we can hug you! Isn't this just great, Star? You get to go to the same school as us! And guess what? You're in the same class as us as well! Isn't that great?"

"Well you must think it's great, considering you said it twice in the same sentence, Momiji." I laughed. "But yes, yes it is great. I'm so glad to have people I know in my class!" I peeked around his blond head to see the white and black one behind him. "Morning, Hatsuharu."

He grunted out a morning, nodding his head towards me. I always expected him to be a terrible morning person, so this simply proved my theory. We weren't too far away from the school at this point, and I sighed in a mixture of worry and excitement. "Shall we go to school, then?" Momiji smiled excitedly, dragging me ahead of everyone in the general direction.

"Ugh..." I groaned, my hands full of papers and books for homework. _I hate school!_

School had gone relatively well. Nothing bad had happened, and I even made a friend in a girl named Rika. However, most of the day included finding out how far behind I actually was compared to this class. Wow, my friends weren't kidding when they said America was lazy! Not to mention, half of our class belonged to that damned Yuki fan club. Did I ever mention how much I hated fan girls? No? Well, I wish to rip their hair from their scalps, slowly and painfully. Does that answer how much I hate them?

"Hard first day?" a voice sounded behind me. I gasped, whirling around in surprise. Yuki stood there with a light smile on his face at my reaction.

"Dammit, Yuki, don't sneak up on me!" I said, playfully shoving him. "I'm hard at hearing as it is!"

He laughed taking two books off of my pile and putting them in his bag. "I'm sorry. My intentions weren't in scaring you. Kyo is training tonight and Tohru has work, so it's only the two of us walking today. Are you ready?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm ready." I shifted the books in my arms and we were off, walking at a slow pace, exchanging pleasantries and talking about our day. It was nice, not to have a care...until I got home and started homework..._ugh._

We were two blocks away from school when I heard them. I only heard a low, girly mumble of voices at first, but they were slightly louder as I passed. Fan Girls.

"-so ugly. Why does he even bother hanging around with Tohru?"

My face turned red in anger. These damn girls were in my grade. Even I know not to bash an upperclassman. "Star?" Yuki looked at me, worried. He must not have been able to hear them.

I looked up at the corner. There they were, a group of three. As we passed, I heard them continue.

"And that uglier foreign exchange student. Who is she kidding, an ugly girl like her? She probably's just as rough as that Uo girl, too! Nothing but an ugly tomboy!"

"That's it." I mumbled, turning on my heel.

"Hey, Fan Girls!" I called to them. Their heads had just snapped up when my fist flew.

**I'm sorry it's short. I know it's short. But I promise to do better next time, I really, really do! Thank you so much for staying by my side you guys!**


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